12 B2B passengers hold up Regal's debarkation

[RocketMan275]

When you consider the time it took over 1,000 crew members to find the missing pax, that wasn't to bad since that was the only one lurking around the ship and not in the theater. Very effective way to find that one person.

 

Yes, it is quite irritating. That is why they should clear those who are present and punish the one who is late. JMHO!

 

If you believe those waiting in the theater should have been cleared and released to the ship, what about those waiting in the terminal? Why not release them and allow them to board as well?

 

It's now 4PM, time to sail, what would you recommend the crew do if those non-conforming passengers have not presented themselves for clearing? Would you keep the whole ship waiting or would you release the blood hounds to find them? If you would do it at 4PM, why not 1030AM?

 

BTW, I agree that the non-conforming passengers should be penalized in some manner but I'm not sure the cruise line would choose to do so. The cruise lines have proven very reluctant to antagonize passengers. Perhaps public ridicule, ie, the condemnation of their fellow passengers is the best we can hope for.

[donh1]

We just got back from 2 weeks on the Regal Princess (11/29-12/13). We had a great cruise as always (our 34th or 35th) and really enjoyed the Regal. There was one incident that I would like to share so that those on b2b cruises may be a little more thoughtful and diligent when it comes to the turn around day.

 

There were somewhere between 550-700 passengers who were sailing Regal for the second week. Instructions were give a couple of days ahead of time so that everyone would know what they needed to do to make the process of debarkation/embarkation very easy and quick.

 

We had all been instructed that we could either get off the ship in FFL or meet in the Princess Theater at 10am to be checked by customs. The theater was filled with about 500 people at 10 am ready to get check and go on with their day of vacation. However, while Princess and the Customs officials were ready shortly after 10, their were 12 inconsiderate passengers who had still not shown up by 10:30; 30 minutes late.

 

Many passengers had arrived to the theater 15-20 minutes early so we had all been patiently waiting for 35-45 minutes while Princess tried to track down these 12 people. The last one arrived at 10:55 to a very angry and vocally hostile group. There were a lot boos and yelling as these late comers marched into the theater, down to the front, and then to stage right. One lady (and I am using this term loosely) turned and gave the crowd the finger which only made matters worse. The last passenger to arrive after having taken her seat, tried to sneak out the upper level back doors and had to literly be chased down by a ship's officer and led back to her seat, thus holding up the process even further.

 

Not only did this effect the 500 b2b passengers, but also the hundreds who were waiting to get on Regal to start their vacation. These passengers were forced to stand in line an extra hour because of those who were inconsiderate. There is no excuses for not being on time unless there is some sort of emergency...whether on a cruise ship or anything else. It is inconsiderate and disrespectful and should not be an option in our lives.

 

Additionally, the crowd that had been waiting also was out of control! It was becoming a mob mentality and if most people had not been too old, There could easily been a physical retaliation break out...people started to feed on one another's anger and emotions. I think we can all learn from this incident that we need to be considerate and respectful of others, no matter what the situation.

 

If you were in the theater during this time, I would love to hear your reaction to the whole incident.

 

There could be many reasons why these people might be late. Most reasons are inexcusable. Having driven tour bus for several years and dealing with groups of about 50 people there was always people who were late for one reason or another. This was more inconvenient for those who were habitually early. To have 500 to 700 people all follow instructions and arrive on time would be a miracle. If it happens call the Pope. The lesson here is to avoid this process if possible or simply accept the enevible.

[RocketMan275]

I totally agree with you. It's physically impossible to ignore the announcement system no matter what you're listening to. These people should have been held in a separate area for 45 minutes after everyone went immigration to let them get a taste of their own medicine....

Of course Princess doesn't want to irritate their customers so it will continue in the future as it always has.

 

I would recommend the non-conforming passengers be escorted off the ship and held in the terminal until all arriving passengers were boarded and it was time for muster. At which time they would have be escorted to their muster stations and kept there until muster was complete. After all, if they won't show for customs, why would they show for muster?

[whitecap]

If I might play devil's advocate: were the instructions clear that everyone must appear exactly at 10am, or could the instructions have been interpreted as saying that clearance would begin at 10am, leaving the stragglers to believe they were in fact merely avoiding the crowds and lines by coming late? (With regard to not hearing the announcements of their names, I can think of a few reasons why they might have not heard. Earbuds, anyone?) In general, people are stupid -- they have limited reading comprehension skills and you can nearly always expect at least 10% to just flat out be wrong. The stragglers were maybe being deliberately ignorant, maybe not.

 

That said, there was no reason for everyone else to vocalize their impatience. I don't condone flipping people off, but the crowd started it and I think it's totally immature to boo total strangers for what may have been a mix-up. Akin to applauding when a waiter drops a plate -- so juvenile.

 

Having been on this cruise and doing the back to back and sitting in the theater I can tell you that the written instructions were VERY CLEAR. In Transit passengers were instructed to report to the Princess Theater AT 10:00am and to bring your passport and customs declaration. Could not have been more clear.

[Oxo]

No, but I bet the security officer and staff did.

 

And probably a tannoy to the stewards to check all the cabins.

 

Yes, your probably right. The security officer and staff did it. Checked 16 decks to find 12 passengers. How big do you think the security staff is?

[flamomo]

First let me say that my DW and I were two of the passengers who arrived "early" to the theater and therefore had to sit and wait for those late comers. The female who decided to arrive late and upon being booed gave the crowd the finger simply showed how she didn't care to follow instructions or have any consideration for others; there was also a male passenger who loudly complained to a ship's officer that he wasn't told to bring his passport and after being advised several times that the passport was needed, stormed out, returning with his passport and the instruction letter in an attempt to prove his point; it was quickly pointed out that the instructions clearly stated to bring passports. The passenger took his seat and never apologized to the ship's officer for his loud and disrespectful behavior. As for the lady who was the last to arrive in the theater, Elaine, did exactly as the OP stated which held up the procedure.

Now to address Oxo: Unfortunately or fortunately depending on your personal prospective, the Customs officers, by law, can not clear the ship until every passenger has been accounted for; for back to back passengers that means that every passenger arriving to Port Everglades has to be confirmed as having "left the ship" or "present for customs inspection". There is no allowance for releasing those present and then later chasing down the missing.

I can understand how someone could be late arriving by a few minutes but for someone to arrive 20, 30, 45 minutes late and then flip off the crowd or try to sneak out the back door, unforgivable.

 

In addition to those who can't be bothered to get to the appointed spot on time, there are those who do not bother to read the provided info re: the turn-around process because they are not planning to get off the ship and have no idea that they must do the immigration thing anyway.

[WISH84]

Yes, your probably right. The security officer and staff did it. Checked 16 decks to find 12 passengers. How big do you think the security staff is?

 

Big enough when you combine their efforts with the "eye in the sky" every single ship has on every single deck at just about every single corner.

 

I do believe the cabin stewards were probably paged first to have those cabins checked (if there were 12 stragglers then the odds are there were only six or less cabins) and once the room steward "cleared" the cabin and placed a "cleared" sticker on the door, they were allowed to go about their business.

 

Then by use of the security cameras, along with the security staff and any other staff not deemed "critical" to the mission of getting the ship ready for departure, they systematically cleared the ship until all 12 were found and/or accounted for.

 

We've never done a B2B but plan to do our first one on the Regal next December. We will be getting off the ship as my aunt will be joining us for the 2nd leg of the journey and has never cruised before. So we will take a cab, pick her up at the hotel, bring her to the dock with us and unless told otherwise, will walk with her through the boarding process.

 

as inconsiderate as the 12 passengers were, I don't know that I would engage in a "berating" of them. I mean, we are still on vacation and an hour of sitting in the Princess Theater, waiting to be released to my next cocktail or sitting in a lounger soaking up the Florida sunshine, is still better than sitting at the airport wishing I wasn't headed home after a week long vacation.

 

Everything should be taken into perspective. But that's just my humble opinion. Your's may vary from mine. ;)

[whitecap]

Big enough when you combine their efforts with the "eye in the sky" every single ship has on every single deck at just about every single corner.

 

I do believe the cabin stewards were probably paged first to have those cabins checked (if there were 12 stragglers then the odds are there were only six or less cabins) and once the room steward "cleared" the cabin and placed a "cleared" sticker on the door, they were allowed to go about their business.

 

Then by use of the security cameras, along with the security staff and any other staff not deemed "critical" to the mission of getting the ship ready for departure, they systematically cleared the ship until all 12 were found and/or accounted for.

 

We've never done a B2B but plan to do our first one on the Regal next December. We will be getting off the ship as my aunt will be joining us for the 2nd leg of the journey and has never cruised before. So we will take a cab, pick her up at the hotel, bring her to the dock with us and unless told otherwise, will walk with her through the boarding process.

 

as inconsiderate as the 12 passengers were, I don't know that I would engage in a "berating" of them. I mean, we are still on vacation and an hour of sitting in the Princess Theater, waiting to be released to my next cocktail or sitting in a lounger soaking up the Florida sunshine, is still better than sitting at the airport wishing I wasn't headed home after a week long vacation.

 

Everything should be taken into perspective. But that's just my humble opinion. Your's may vary from mine. ;)

 

Jeff, I agree with you that sitting in the theatre wasn't all that bad; what made the situation hostile toward the late comers was the fact that the ship paged them over and over and over again and they didn't respond. Their lack of responding I believe caused the people in the theatre to anticipate some type of apology (either by words or gesture) and when that didn't happen it was like they were saying to everyone, "I can do whatever I want".

[GOLDENBONNY]

We have had late comers a few times which caused delays.

The way I look at it is hey I am on a cruise!

Don't really understand the anger?

 

Really ? You would love to seat 1 hour in theater because some idiot decided not to come on time ? I bet you happy to seat in bus on sore excursion when some idiot "don't remember" what time he supposed to come back?

[floridalover5623]

I would recommend the non-conforming passengers be escorted off the ship and held in the terminal until all arriving passengers were boarded and it was time for muster. At which time they would have be escorted to their muster stations and kept there until muster was complete. After all, if they won't show for customs, why would they show for muster?

 

I don't know about after muster but making them go to the end of the boarding line might make them think twice about doing it again.

I imagine the boarding line would probably be fairly long at that time of day. :D

[LHT28]

Interesting thread

We have done B2B's on other lines

we clear immigration (as non US citizens) in a separate area one by one then once the ship is cleared we can leave the ship like any other passenger

 

I have never had to sit & wait until all B2B passengers were in the same area

Is it because of the large numbers of B2B passengers they keep everyone held hostage ??? :eek:

[capriccio]

I would recommend the non-conforming passengers be escorted off the ship and held in the terminal until all arriving passengers were boarded and it was time for muster. At which time they would have be escorted to their muster stations and kept there until muster was complete. After all, if they won't show for customs, why would they show for muster?

 

Good creative thinking but B2B passengers aren't required to attend subsequent musters. Maybe just hold them for as long as they held up the entire process or until there are no lines at check-in?

[WISH84]

Jeff, I agree with you that sitting in the theatre wasn't all that bad; what made the situation hostile toward the late comers was the fact that the ship paged them over and over and over again and they didn't respond. Their lack of responding I believe caused the people in the theatre to anticipate some type of apology (either by words or gesture) and when that didn't happen it was like they were saying to everyone, "I can do whatever I want".

 

Oh, don't get me wrong, it would totally tick me off. And it would probably take every single ounce of my fiber not to jump on the band wagon and let them know how I feel. To many times I have seen the "I'm Platinum (Carnival) hear me roar" or "I'm Elite, kiss my feet" mentality. Part of me wishes the cruise lines would add a clause to their repeat passenger recognition packages that if you "ever try to use your status to demand special attention, we reserve the right to revoke your status without notice"

 

:eek:

 

Really ? You would love to seat 1 hour in theater because some idiot decided not to come on time ? I bet you happy to seat in bus on sore excursion when some idiot "don't remember" what time he supposed to come back?

 

Not happy, but understands the overall scheme of things. As I stated in my post, let's all keep some perspective. I agree with him. A day of loosing a full box of golf balls into the par 3 pond is still better than sitting at my desk dealing with reports! :cool:

[capriccio]

Interesting thread

We have done B2B's on other lines

we clear immigration (as non US citizens) in a separate area one by one then once the ship is cleared we can leave the ship like any other passenger

 

I have never had to sit & wait until all B2B passengers were in the same area

Is it because of the large numbers of B2B passengers they keep everyone held hostage ??? :eek:

 

No one is being held hostage by Princess - it is the fault of inconsiderate cruisers who think that they don't need to follow instructions.

 

As a B2B passenger you have 2 choices:

 

• disembark the ship at your leisure (as long as you do it by the time the last passengers disembark) and return once boarding has started (the equivalent to what you have experienced on other lines)
  
• if you don't want to go ashore, follow the instructions for clearing B2B passengers (report to a central location - like the theater - and be processed there or report to a central location, exit the ship, get processed in the terminal, and return to the ship).
  

[Wehwalt]

I don't know about after muster but making them go to the end of the boarding line might make them think twice about doing it again.

I imagine the boarding line would probably be fairly long at that time of day. :D

 

Princess is not a parent, they are not a court-based law enforcement system. The ideas of punishment I have seen here would, in each case, almost certainly lose customers (and not just the subjects of others' ire) and be very much against the atmosphere they are trying to promote. I'm a bit appalled that they did not prevent the scene mentioned by the OP, actually, with howling and screaming at those who were late. As for the lack of an apology, even if that was offensive, I believe it was Robert Heinlein who wrote that inciting to riot does not excuse riot.

 

That includes:

 

1. Marching people off the ships in shackles.

2. Punishing them in some time sense, as in "holding" them in the terminal or onboard.

3. Downgrading from Elite, either for a voyage or permanently.

4. Humiliating them in some other way.

 

Each of which I have seen proposed in Princess threads.

 

Think about it.

Edited December 18, 2015 by Wehwalt

[pablo222]

Yes, your probably right. The security officer and staff did it. Checked 16 decks to find 12 passengers. How big do you think the security staff is?

 

What do you suggest -- that they do nothing?

 

They certainly have enough to search all public areas and

open decks.

 

I have been on several cruises where some kid has been lost.

They asked all passengers to return to staterooms, and the

steward counted the people in his section.

 

Usually it's just the kid sleeping in the wrong room....

 

While I don't know what their procedure is in this case, I'm sure they

have one.

[whitecap]

Princess is not a parent, they are not a court-based law enforcement system. The ideas of punishment I have seen here would, in each case, almost certainly lose customers and be very much against the atmosphere they are trying to promote.

 

That includes:

 

1. Marching people off the ships in shackles.

2. Punishing them in some time sense.

3. Downgrading from Elite, either for a voyage or permanently.

4. Humiliating them in some other way.

 

Each of which I have seen proposed in Princess threads.

 

Think about it.

 

How about this as a solution:

In the sheet of instructions include the following:

 

In-Transit passengers must assemble in the Princess Theater no later than 10:00am. Doors to the theater will be closed at 10:05am to allow US Customs to begin the Immigration Process. IN-TRANSIT PASSENGERS WHO ARRIVE AFTER THE DOORS HAVE BEEN CLOSED OR WITHOUT THE PROPER DOCUMENTATION WILL BE ESCORTED OFF THE SHIP TO BE PROCESSED BY US CUSTOMS OFFICIALS INSIDE THE TERMINAL.

 

Maybe that would encourage passengers to arrive on time and with the proper documentation. Now it still may cause those in the theater to have a wait so that late passengers can be located and escorted off the ship, but those in-transit passengers who complied will have the knowledge that those that didn't will be sitting out in the terminal until after those in the theater are processed and regular boarding is ready to begin.

[WISH84]

How about this as a solution:

 

In the sheet of instructions include the following:

 

 

 

In-Transit passengers must assemble in the Princess Theater no later than 10:00am. Doors to the theater will be closed at 10:05am to allow US Customs to begin the Immigration Process. IN-TRANSIT PASSENGERS WHO ARRIVE AFTER THE DOORS HAVE BEEN CLOSED OR WITHOUT THE PROPER DOCUMENTATION WILL BE ESCORTED OFF THE SHIP TO BE PROCESSED BY US CUSTOMS OFFICIALS INSIDE THE TERMINAL.

 

 

 

Maybe that would encourage passengers to arrive on time and with the proper documentation. Now it still may cause those in the theater to have a wait so that late passengers can be located and escorted off the ship, but those in-transit passengers who complied will have the knowledge that those that didn't will be sitting out in the terminal until after those in the theater are processed and regular boarding is ready to begin.

 

 

I like it!! [emoji6]

[Oxo]

Big enough when you combine their efforts with the "eye in the sky" every single ship has on every single deck at just about every single corner.

 

I do believe the cabin stewards were probably paged first to have those cabins checked (if there were 12 stragglers then the odds are there were only six or less cabins) and once the room steward "cleared" the cabin and placed a "cleared" sticker on the door, they were allowed to go about their business.

 

Then by use of the security cameras, along with the security staff and any other staff not deemed "critical" to the mission of getting the ship ready for departure, they systematically cleared the ship until all 12 were found and/or accounted for.

 

We've never done a B2B but plan to do our first one on the Regal next December. We will be getting off the ship as my aunt will be joining us for the 2nd leg of the journey and has never cruised before. So we will take a cab, pick her up at the hotel, bring her to the dock with us and unless told otherwise, will walk with her through the boarding process.

 

as inconsiderate as the 12 passengers were, I don't know that I would engage in a "berating" of them. I mean, we are still on vacation and an hour of sitting in the Princess Theater, waiting to be released to my next cocktail or sitting in a lounger soaking up the Florida sunshine, is still better than sitting at the airport wishing I wasn't headed home after a week long vacation.

 

Everything should be taken into perspective. But that's just my humble opinion. Your's may vary from mine. ;)

Ok, I agree with your thinking that the staff did everything possible to locate the passengers who were missing. Using your options of cabin personnel, security, cameras. My concern would be if they did use this method and it took an hour to find 12 people assuming that all 12 were missing for an hour:

What would happen if they were looking to locate someone who was trying to harm passengers with the same conditions. Trying to find 12 people within that hour? TOO LATE.

I personally believe the crew/staff were not looking for any individuals. Just using the PA system.

I truly hope that you don't encounter the same wait for over an hour when you are getting off at any port or getting off the ship at the end of your cruise.

Happy Cruising!!

 

As others are saying I also agree. The ship cannot be cleared until everyone is accounted for. That was never my point of clearing the ship since everyone was not accounted for. My point was allow those who are in the theater to leave the ship. When everyone is accounted for, then clear the ship and allow re-boarding.

 

This thread is better than the Dress Code threads.

[floridalover5623]

How about this as a solution:

In the sheet of instructions include the following:

 

In-Transit passengers must assemble in the Princess Theater no later than 10:00am. Doors to the theater will be closed at 10:05am to allow US Customs to begin the Immigration Process. IN-TRANSIT PASSENGERS WHO ARRIVE AFTER THE DOORS HAVE BEEN CLOSED OR WITHOUT THE PROPER DOCUMENTATION WILL BE ESCORTED OFF THE SHIP TO BE PROCESSED BY US CUSTOMS OFFICIALS INSIDE THE TERMINAL.

 

 

This actually sounds like a perk for those that are late to arrive. :D

There's no reason to hurry to join the crowd since you'll have a personal escort to go thorough imaginations. I might even like this option myself. ;)

[whitecap]

This actually sounds like a perk for those that are late to arrive. :D

There's no reason to hurry to join the crowd since you'll have a personal escort to go thorough imaginations. I might even like this option myself. ;)

 

Not sure I agree: I would much rather be in the Princess Theater than in the terminal and certainly would rather be released back into the ship before those that are in the terminal. Example: In-Transit passenger arrives at 10:20am, they are escorted off the ship and into the terminal where they will have to clear customs then sit and wait for all those in the theater to be cleared and new passenger are ready to board before they can get in line.

[moki'smommy]

Sounds like a great solution. It doesn't say they will be escorted thru Customs, only that they will be escorted off the ship. From there, they can work their own way thru Customs and back into the terminal to wait in line to re-board the ship. Perfect solution.

 

The only downside is that there could be a line to enter the theatre, in which case the doors couldn't be closed until all those in the line have entered. And it is illegal in the US to lock the doors from the inside (in the event of fire, those inside must be able to use the exits). Perhaps the doors can lock from the outside only.....OK, so I overthink things.....

Edited December 18, 2015 by moki'smommy

[Wehwalt]

How about this as a solution:

In the sheet of instructions include the following:

 

In-Transit passengers must assemble in the Princess Theater no later than 10:00am. Doors to the theater will be closed at 10:05am to allow US Customs to begin the Immigration Process. IN-TRANSIT PASSENGERS WHO ARRIVE AFTER THE DOORS HAVE BEEN CLOSED OR WITHOUT THE PROPER DOCUMENTATION WILL BE ESCORTED OFF THE SHIP TO BE PROCESSED BY US CUSTOMS OFFICIALS INSIDE THE TERMINAL.

 

Maybe that would encourage passengers to arrive on time and with the proper documentation. Now it still may cause those in the theater to have a wait so that late passengers can be located and escorted off the ship, but those in-transit passengers who complied will have the knowledge that those that didn't will be sitting out in the terminal until after those in the theater are processed and regular boarding is ready to begin.

 

People in the theatre will still have to wait until the people are found.

 

The only non-punitive reason I can see for that is for their own protection and privacy if the people in the theatre cannot be trusted to act appropriately.

Edited December 18, 2015 by Wehwalt

[whitecap]

People in the theatre will still have to wait until the people are found.

 

The only non-punitive reason I can see for that is for their own protection and privacy if the people in the theatre cannot be trusted to act appropriately.

 

Actually I don't think this action would be to "punish" those people but to "encourage compliance". Think of it like this: How many times does it take to be late back to the ship only to see the ship sailing away before you decide that being back on time was a better option? Just saying.

[Wehwalt]

Actually I don't think this action would be to "punish" those people but to "encourage compliance". Think of it like this: How many times does it take to be late back to the ship only to see the ship sailing away before you decide that being back on time was a better option? Just saying.

 

Sure. I understand, and no offense as these are touchy subjects. But there are operational reasons that justify the ship not staying. The escorting of the passengers shoreside doesn't save Princess dockage fees. Note that my objection to "punishing" passengers is general, not this specific situation.